Since the mobility of patients is restricted due to paralysis or incoordination, for example, stroke or Parkinsonism, it is difficult for them to partake in aerobic exercise, e.g. brisk walking, jogging, biking, or swimming. Prolonged lack of exercise may lead the patients to suffer from muscular atrophy, cardiopulmonary deconditioning, depressive mood, or high risk of stroke recurrence. Therefore there is a need to develop a new aerobic exercise module suitable for the patients, especially for those with ambulation difficulty resulted from severe paralysis.
Some paralyzed patients can slowly walk with a cane, and others can ambulate using a wheelchair. The wheelchair can go forward or backward using patients' one-hand operation, and can turn left or right using their one-foot operation. Such movements are slow and tend to cause shoulder injury. These operations are not ergonomic and can cause learned non-use in the hemi-paretic limbs.
Therefore, it is desirable to assist paralyzed patients in moving by themselves, and partake in aerobic exercise at the same time.